
Jim Davis
Actor · Died April 26, 1981, aged 71 · Edgerton, Platte County, Missouri, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jim Davis (born Marlin Davis, August 26, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American actor, best known for his role as Jock Ewing in the CBS prime-time soap opera, Dallas, a role which continued until he was too ill from a terminal illness to perform. He was known as Jim Davis by the time of his first major screen role, which was opposite Bette Davis in the 1948 melodrama Winter Meeting,[3] a lavish failure for which he was lambasted in the press as being too inexperienced to play the part properly. His subsequent film career consisted of mostly B movies, many of them westerns, although he made an impression as a U.S. senator in the Warren Beatty conspiracy thriller The Parallax View. Davis performed in numerous television series episodes in the 1950s-1970s. After years of relatively low-profile roles, Davis was cast as family patriarch Jock Ewing on Dallas, which debuted in 1978. During season four, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma but continued to film the show as long as he could. In many scenes as the season progressed he was shown seated, and his voice became softer and more obviously affected by his illness. He wore a hairpiece to cover the hair he'd lost from chemotherapy. A season four storyline regarding the Takapa development and Jock's separation from Miss Ellie was ended abruptly at the end of season four. The writers depicted the couple suddenly leaving to go on an extended second honeymoon when it became obvious that Davis could no longer continue to work. Their departure in a limousine in the episode "New Beginnings" was Davis' only scene in that episode, and his condition was so poor that close watching reveals (based on his unsynchronized lip movement) that he overdubbed his one last line of dialogue. It was his final appearance on the show. He died of complications from his illness while season four was being aired.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 26, 1909
- April 26, 1981 (aged 71)
- Edgerton, Platte County, Missouri, USA
- Actor
- 61 on MovieCove · 145 credits in all
What are Jim Davis' films like?
Across their 39 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 37
Light 15 · Serious 17 · Dark 7
Grounded 31 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 0
Gentle 11 · Charged 21 · Intense 7
Steady 25 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 27 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 1
Slow burn 25 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 3
Casual 28 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 21 · Affecting 14 · Heavy 4
Resolved 34 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 8 of 21 analyzed roles.
Show the 21 rolesHide the roles
- Shadowas Slick Novak in Winter Meeting (1948)
- Shadowas Gyp Stoner in Hellfire (1949)
- Allyas Cpl. Doan Moylan in Little Big Horn (1951)
- Shadowas Wade McQuarrie in Silver Canyon (1951)
- Allyas Fred Denton in Three Desperate Men (1951)
- Shadowas Major Linton Cosgrave in The Outcast (1954)
- Heroas 'Brennan' in The Badge of Marshal Brennan (1957)
- Heroas Dr. Quent Brady in Monster from Green Hell (1957)
- Heroas Jim Breen in Raiders of Old California (1957)
- Shadowas Newton in The Restless Breed (1957)
- Shadowas Johnny Ringo in The Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958)
- Heroas Marshal Matt Gordon in A Lust to Kill (1958)
- Heroas Case Britton in Noose for a Gunman (1960)
- Heroas Jim Stockton in Frontier Uprising (1961)
- Heroas Case Silverthorne in The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961)
- Heraldas Marshal MacPhee in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966)
- Threshold guardianas Marshal in Bad Company (1972)
- Heroas Sheriff Pat Lambrose in Law of the Land (1976)
- Mentoras Grant in The Day Time Ended (1979)
- Mentoras Mr. Wilkenson in Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige (1981)
- Mentoras Jock Ewing in Dallas Reunion: Return to Southfork (2004)
Moods and endings
- Happy21
- Bittersweet10
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Jim Davis' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 33 of their 61 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).
- Stand by for Action (1942) · actor · free
- Bonanza (1959) · actor · free
- The Donna Reed Show (1958) · actor · free
- Little Big Horn (1951) · actor · free
- The Lucy Show (1962) · actor · free
- Alias Jesse James (1959) · actor · free
- Comes a Horseman (1978) · actor · free
- 26 Men (1957) · actor · free
- The Cariboo Trail (1950) · actor · free
- Silver Canyon (1951) · actor · free
- Raiders of Old California (1957) · actor · free
- The Restless Breed (1957) · actor · free
- +4 more
- El Dorado (1966) · actor · free
- Perry Mason (1957) · actor · free
- The Parallax View (1974) · actor · free
- Big Jake (1971) · actor · free
- Bad Company (1972) · actor · free
- Rio Lobo (1970) · actor · free
- The Donna Reed Show (1958) · actor · free
- The Lucy Show (1962) · actor · free
- Alias Jesse James (1959) · actor · free
- Comes a Horseman (1978) · actor · free
- 26 Men (1957) · actor · free
- The Cariboo Trail (1950) · actor · free
- +2 more
- Perry Mason (1957) · actor
- Banacek (1972) · actor
- The Donna Reed Show (1958) · actor
- The Lucy Show (1962) · actor
- Comes a Horseman (1978) · actor
- The Cariboo Trail (1950) · actor
- Silver Canyon (1951) · actor
- Satan's Triangle (1975) · actor
- Lassie (1954) · actor
- The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961) · actor
- Guns Don't Argue! (1957) · actor
- Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966) · actor · free
- Banacek (1972) · actor · free
- Bonanza (1959) · actor · free
- The Donna Reed Show (1958) · actor · free
- The Lucy Show (1962) · actor · free
- Comes a Horseman (1978) · actor · free
- 26 Men (1957) · actor · free
- The Cariboo Trail (1950) · actor · free
- Silver Canyon (1951) · actor · free
- Lassie (1954) · actor · free
- Raiders of Old California (1957) · actor · free
- The Restless Breed (1957) · actor · free
- The Day Time Ended (1979) · actor · free
- ScreenPix, show their 5 titles on ScreenPix
- Cineverse, show their 2 titles on Cineverse
- IndieFlix, show their 2 titles on IndieFlix
- Midnight Pulp, show their 2 titles on Midnight Pulp
- Shout! TV, show their 2 titles on Shout! TV
- Best Westerns Ever, show their title on Best Westerns Ever
- Dove Channel, show their title on Dove Channel
- Great American Pure Flix, show their title on Great American Pure Flix
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- Screambox, show their title on Screambox
Subscription and free streaming for Jim Davis' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
145 credits, 61 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
The Day Time Ended(1979)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Comes a Horseman(1978)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Killing Stone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

Dallas(1978)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows
Trail of Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

The Choirboys(1977)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Enigma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

Hunter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

The Quest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

Law of the Land(1976)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The Runaway Barge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

Satan's Triangle(1975)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
The Parallax View(1974)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all filmsThe Cowboys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

Inferno in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

Deliver Us from Evil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

Kung Fu(1972)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
Bad Company(1972)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Streets of San Francisco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

Banacek(1972)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
The Honkers(1972)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
The Sixth Sense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

The Trackers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

Dracula vs. Frankenstein(1971)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Big Jake(1971)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Night Gallery(1969)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
Monte Walsh(1970)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Rio Lobo(1970)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Five Bloody Graves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

The Ice House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

The Road Hustlers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

They Ran for Their Lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

The High Chaparral (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

Hondo and the Apaches(1967)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
The Guns of Will Sonnett (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

Fort Utah(1967)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
El Dorado(1966)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The Time Tunnel(1966)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
The F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

Laredo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

Zebra in the Kitchen(1965)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Branded (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

Daniel Boone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

Iron Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

Stoney Burke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

The Lucy Show(1962)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all showsButtons and Her Beaus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

The Gambler Wore a Gun(1961)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Gunslinger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

Frontier Uprising(1961)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
The Magnificent Seven(1960)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Outlaws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

The Aquanauts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

The Tall Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

Coronado 9 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

Noose for a Gunman(1960)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Laramie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

Bonanza(1959)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Alias Jesse James(1959)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

Yancy Derringer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

A Lust to Kill(1958)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
The Donna Reed Show(1958)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all showsRescue 8 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

Flaming Frontier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

Wolf Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
26 Men(1957)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows
Perry Mason(1957)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Wagon Train(1957)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

Guns Don't Argue!(1957)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
The Quiet Gun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

Last Stagecoach West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

Apache Warrior (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

Monster from Green Hell(1957)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
The Restless Breed(1957)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Four Women in Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
The Silent Service (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

Duel at Apache Wells (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
O. Henry Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

Frontier Gambler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

The Maverick Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

Blonde Bait (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

The Wild Dakotas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

The Bottom of the Bottle(1956)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
The Vanishing American (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

Last of the Desperados (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

The Last Command(1955)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Timberjack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

The Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

Hell's Outpost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

The Outlaw's Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

December Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

Lassie(1954)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
The Outcast(1954)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
The Big Chase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

Jubilee Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

Stories of the Century (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

Ride the Man Down(1952)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Cavalcade of America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

Death Valley Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

The Big Sky(1952)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)Gang Busters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

Rose of Cimarron (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

Dangerous Assignment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

The Sea Hornet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

Silver Canyon(1951)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Little Big Horn(1951)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Cavalry Scout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

Oh! Susanna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

Three Desperate Men(1951)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
California Passage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

The Showdown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

The Cariboo Trail(1950)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Hi-Jacked (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

The Savage Horde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

Yes Sir, That's My Baby(1949)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Brimstone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

Hellfire(1949)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Red Stallion In The Rockies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Winter Meeting(1948)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Fabulous Texan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

Merton of the Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

Gallant Bess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

Up Goes Maisie(1946)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Swing Shift Maisie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

Pilot #5 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

Stand by for Action(1942)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
White Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

Tennessee Johnson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

Keep 'Em Sailing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

Northwest Rangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
Career shape
Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 144 titles from 1942 to 1981; peak year 1971.

Biggest box office
Comes a Horseman (1978)

Highest rated
Monte Walsh (1970)

Most popular right now
Dallas Reunion: Return to Southfork (2004)
Film career
Peak 1971 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1949Screen debut· A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
- 1957First top-billed film· Monster from Green Hell
- 1978Career best· Dallas
- 1980Career best· The Day Time Ended
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Jim Davis' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 49; across their 39 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up14
- 50th to 74th18
- 25th to 49th18
- Below 25th11
Shape of the crowd
29 of their 61 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Universally Panned3
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser29
- Broadly Agreed9
- Mixed16
Reviewers score the acting 60/100 in their films, across 36 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 41. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Jim Davis work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jim Davis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Steve Fisher shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Edward L. CahnShared titles: Frontier Uprising (1961), The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961), Noose for a Gunman (1960)See all 3 shared titles with Edward L. Cahn

- Albert C. GannawayShared titles: Raiders of Old California (1957), The Badge of Marshal Brennan (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Albert C. Gannaway
- Allan DwanShared titles: The Restless Breed (1957), Woman They Almost Lynched (1953)See all 2 shared titles with Allan Dwan

- Joseph KaneShared titles: Ride the Man Down (1952), Woman of the North Country (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph Kane

Writers
- Steve FisherShared titles: Fort Utah (1967), Noose for a Gunman (1960), The Restless Breed (1957), Woman They Almost Lynched (1953)See all 4 shared titles with Steve Fisher
- Orville H. HamptonShared titles: Frontier Uprising (1961), The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961), The Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958), Three Desperate Men (1951)See all 4 shared titles with Orville H. Hampton
- Tom HubbardShared titles: A Lust to Kill (1958), Raiders of Old California (1957), The Badge of Marshal Brennan (1957)See all 3 shared titles with Tom Hubbard
- Samuel RoecaShared titles: A Lust to Kill (1958), Raiders of Old California (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Samuel Roeca
Actors
- J. Carrol NaishShared titles: Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971), The Last Command (1955), Ride the Man Down (1952), Woman of the North Country (1952)See all 4 shared titles with J. Carrol Naish

- Harry LauterShared titles: Fort Utah (1967), The Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958), Raiders of Old California (1957), The Badge of Marshal Brennan (1957)See all 4 shared titles with Harry Lauter

- James BrownShared titles: Dallas Reunion: Return to Southfork (2004), Woman They Almost Lynched (1953), Yes Sir, That's My Baby (1949)See all 3 shared titles with James Brown

- Ben CooperShared titles: The Last Command (1955), The Outcast (1954), Woman They Almost Lynched (1953)See all 3 shared titles with Ben Cooper

Composers and cinematographers
- Paul SawtellShared titles: Frontier Uprising (1961), The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961), Noose for a Gunman (1960), The Cariboo Trail (1950)See all 4 shared titles with Paul Sawtell
- Jack A. MartaShared titles: The Last Command (1955), Ride the Man Down (1952), Woman of the North Country (1952), Hellfire (1949)See all 4 shared titles with Jack A. Marta
- Jimmie HaskellShared titles: Just a Little Inconvenience (1977), The Honkers (1972), Fort Utah (1967)See all 3 shared titles with Jimmie Haskell

- Bert ShefterShared titles: Frontier Uprising (1961), The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961), Noose for a Gunman (1960)See all 3 shared titles with Bert Shefter
Producers
- Robert E. KentShared titles: Frontier Uprising (1961), The Gambler Wore a Gun (1961), Noose for a Gunman (1960), The Toughest Gun in Tombstone (1958)See all 4 shared titles with Robert E. Kent
- William J. O'SullivanShared titles: The Outcast (1954), Hellfire (1949)See all 2 shared titles with William J. O'Sullivan
- Murray LernerShared titles: Little Big Horn (1951), Three Desperate Men (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Murray Lerner
Mixed roles
- Carl K. HittlemanShared titles: Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966), Little Big Horn (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Carl K. Hittleman




